Meaning of Life
by Penelope Jadewing
Summary: Greed was one of the last to die. Before Truth sticks him in limbo for eternity, an ancient, powerful being arrives to offer him and all his siblings a way out - a second chance. They will be given a taste of humanity, and then put to a choice - become homunculi once more or remain human. The choice won't be so easy as they first assume. Fantasy AU. No pairings. Rating may change.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Somebody slap me. Please. Because look what I just did. I started another multi-chapter fanfic. Ugh. *headdeskheaddesk* Um... but... SHIIIIINYYYYYY... it's so shiny... i had to write it...**

**Okay, so this is definitely a fantasy AU. I know that a certain person makes a cameo here (and probably will in other chapters), but this is _not_ a crossover. Just want to make that clear. This will be continued from the end of FMA: Brotherhood, this will be fantasy, this will be AU, this will contain OCs, there will be SPOILERS for Brotherhood, and this will star five of the homunculi (the reason why the other two - er, three if you're technical - are not included is explained in this prologue). I'm gonna guess that there will be more of Greed and Envy than the others, just knowing myself, since they're my favorite homunculi. There are no pairings as of now, but that may be subject to change. There will be no yaoi. **

**This is my first time writing Greed, too, so... I hope it doesn't suck.**

**Dislcaimer: I DO NOT OWN FMA OR ANY OF ITS CANON CHARACTERS.**

**More A/N to follow at bottom of chapter...**

* * *

**Prologue**

Heaven wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

It _was_ heaven, right? One of two places you go when you die… That's what Greed had always heard, anyway.

Maybe this wasn't heaven, but… the other place. It was creepy enough. Sure, white was not the color most generally associated with _that_ place, but somehow, he'd never imagined any good afterlife as nothing but an empty void.

He couldn't even hear his footsteps. Wait, did he have feet? He looked down. Yeah, he had feet. Not his feet, though. Or, well, not the ones he had when he 'died' (after all, who knew? Maybe he wasn't dead). The black boots pointed at the toes, and last he checked, his black pants hadn't been leather.

And his coat, his beautiful long, black coat! It'd been traded out for a vest with a fur collar… Well, it wasn't too bad. Change in style was easy enough to adjust to.

Hadn't he died, though? He sure felt conscious, and what was with the wardrobe change?*

"My, my, you certainly have a lot of questions."

The voice made him jump; who the heck would be wandering around a place like this!? Well… aside from him, at least. For a second there, he'd wondered if he ended up in his own personal dimension or something (which would be totally cool, come to think of it).

"No, this isn't your dimension. This is _my_ dimension." Just ahead of him, at the base of a massive stone door that appeared from out of nowhere, sat a ghostly version of himself. He had no hair or clothes or skin or bones or a face, he was simply… white. In fact, the only evidence that he was actually sitting there was a faint grey glow around him.

Greed raised his eyebrows, opening his mouth to question. "Who-"

"-am I?" the creature finished with a toothy grin that reminded Greed of Envy. Just more… controlled. It snickered, which was unnerving when it had no other facial features besides that broad mouth. "I am everything, and nothing; one and all; dark and light; yin and yang; I am Truth."

"Uh huh…" Honestly, he wasn't at all impressed by the lengthy title. All he knew was that this guy crept him out.

"And you are Greed, third homunculus created by the creature known as 'the Dwarf in the Flask' about 204 years ago. Or, 204 years ago in a dimension where Time exists, anyway."

Again, Greed opened his mouth to voice a question, but was rudely interrupted once more.

"Where are you? You are in the Void. The place between time. My realm. And here will you stay, homunculus."

"What?" Greed finally got a word in edgewise, frowning at the ominous tone of that last sentence.

"Yes, here. See, you are an _artificial_ human. You existed off of stolen life. You had no life of your own, but your consciousness must be stored somewhere after you die. Heaven nor Hell are suited for you, and so here you will stay."

"I don't much care for your sense of decorating," Greed deadpanned with a glare at the creature. It only grinned back at him, though, and laughed.

"You won't know the difference. From now on, you will simply cease to exist. Your consciousness will remain in limbo until the end of all things."

"And then?"

"Then you will die a second death, and be utterly erased from all of time and space."

"Sounds pleasant."

Truth chortled. "Trust me. You won't feel a thing."

"Somehow, this doesn't seem fair." Greed folded his arms haughtily. "You had to see what I just did back there. I just defeated the guy who was trying to take you over."

"Yes, aren't you the special one…" Truth seemed less amused at the statement, but his grin soon returned. "But does that really make up for everything else you've done? All the horrors and atrocities you've committed in your years of existence? Why, it wouldn't be equivalent exchange if I simply gave you a happy ending, now, would it?"

Greed clenched his teeth and was about to respond when the door behind Truth began to rumble open. The phantom-like creature seemed just as surprised as Greed was by this, and it scrambled to its feet, stepping away.

"After all these eons," came a rumbling voice from the shadows, from a tawny form beginning to take shape, "I finally found your nest, Malum."

From behind it, Greed actually saw the white creature tremble, fists clenching. Its breath came faster as the figure stepped into the light. A large head came into sight, in the face of which nestled two brilliant eyes that seemed to be all sort of colors at once, followed by rounded ears and a heavy golden mane. A paw stepped out, followed by three others, and a long tail ending with a tuft of matching golden hair.

Greed stared in awe at the large lion that had quite suddenly joined them from beyond the Gate. He was tempted to wonder if he hadn't actually died and simply been knocked unconscious and was now having some pretty messed-up dreams, but that didn't seem plausible. You didn't exactly forget a death like his.

"You didn't actually think your meddling would go unchecked, did you?" said the animal, in the same low voice as before.

"No… No, you can't! You can't just walk in here!" Truth – or Malum, if the lion was to be believed – spat, gritting his white teeth. "This is _my_ dimension!"

"All dimensions are mine. You simply make forgeries." The lion continued to stride closer, calmly and slowly. Truth backed up until he bumped into Greed, who didn't move. No way was this creep getting any sympathy from him.

"Well, it's my forgery then!" Truth declared with impudent rage.

The lion sighed, closing its brilliant eyes for a moment before halting its steps and simply staring at the other-worldly being. It didn't seem to have noticed Greed yet. Either that, or it was simply ignoring him. Greed felt a little miffed at the idea.

"You attempt to govern the realms I have shaped in my stead, claim my name, taint my image with your own, and even when faced with your own creator, you remain arrogant. Where has your honor gone?"

"Honor!?" Truth cackled, looking manic once more. "Who cares about honor? Look at me! Look at this world that I've corrupted!"

"You are a con man, Malum, and nothing more. Tell me, what have you done with all of the things that you've stolen from the people of this dimension? I see no belongings, no evidence of your trade."

"That's just it, kitty cat," Truth sneered, "that's what I am. A trader. I _trade_ one thing for another. I _steal_ nothing!"

"You stole the lives of thousands to ensure the survival of eight homunculi," the lion said.

Suddenly, Greed got more interested.

"And look at their perfection! Look what _I_ created!"

"Look what you destroyed. You created nothing. You forged and then tore down."

"I _forged_ the greatest creatures in the seven circles!"

"You forged monsters created to serve the purpose of destruction and destruction alone."

"Hey now…" Greed muttered, but was largely ignored.

"They were perfect!" Truth screeched.

"They perished. Four to the foes of your tyranny-"

"My brother's** tyranny!"

"-one to his own despair, one for the sake of those he learned to love," at this, the lion finally shifted a glance toward Greed, but went right back to staring down Truth, "and the last fell to the devices of your own creations. He was his own downfall in the end."

Truth snarled, and then let loose a scream of rage.

The lion continued, unfazed. "You claim the title of Truth, yet you are nothing but deception, lies, forgery and falsehood. Here is your truth, Malum: you have lost."

"No, I will create more homunculi! I will continue to destroy those loathsome creatures you hold so dear!"

"No, you will not. You will leave this place, destroy this bridge, and never return here."

"I'm not alone here," Truth said, a grin twitching one corner of his mouth. "I'll take them down with me."

A few seconds of silence passed, and then the lion looked at Greed again. "That is the other matter to which I came to attend."

"You can't have them."

"They are not yours to keep."

"Oh yes they are; you have no claim over them whatsoever. And like I said, I am a trader. To get something from me, you have to give me something of equal value. And even you, O Great Lion, can't scrounge up enough to earn the consciousness' of my beloved homunculi."

Questions were racing through Greed's head a mile a minute, but he wasn't about to interrupt to ask them. He got the feeling that he was only witnessing the surface of some big thing that was way beyond him.

The lion, serene as it had been since it stepped foot in the void, looked to and fro, and then slowly hung its head. Streaks soon dripped from its eyes like tears, only crimson red, like blood. Wait… was it blood? It fell to the white floor in great drops, staining the crisp white scarlet. At the same time, a wound in its ribcage opened up, spilling more blood onto the white expanse. Truth howled, as if in pain.

"NO, NO YOU CAN'T! I WON'T LET YOU!" it shrieked.

Soon, blood covered the floor in all directions. Greed couldn't see the end of it, and the new red sea stood out in stark contrast against the white of the Void. It lapped at the edges of the Gate, stained Truth's own white figure red. As Greed watched the crimson flow circle his own ankles, he didn't feel disgusted, and he wasn't sure why.

"You should know that I have paid their debts and more," the lion finally said. The wound closed, and the last red tear left red streaks on the being's fur. "Here is your payment, Malum. Now haunt this dimension no more."

"Ugh…" Truth seemed to be in pain as the red stains lined his feet, creeping up toward his knees. "F-Fine… Take them… Take them!"

"You will keep your brother. You will take him, and leave this place. Forever. Is that understood?"

"Yes!" it moaned, looking like it would wish nothing more than to leap out of the sea of blood and never touch it again. "Just make it stop!"

"Be gone, then."

Truth vanished, without a trace. Greed blinked, and it was gone, like it had never been there in the first place. The blood drained away to the horizon as well until it was completely gone. But instead of the white void it had been before, soil and meadow grass formed solid ground in its place. Wildflowers sprouted up and waved in an invisible wind. When the red reached the distance, blue began to stain the void above them, turning white to brilliant skies.

Greed could only stare in fascination.

Who the heck was this lion?

"The Void is no more," the being said, and Greed realized that with no one else there, it had to be addressing him. "Shall we fetch your siblings, then?"

Greed cleared his throat rather awkwardly. "Sorry, but… who are you?"

"I have many names."

"What, like 'one' and 'all' and 'everything' and 'truth' and all that?"

"That creature you knew as Truth perverted a number of my names, yes."

"So… you're the real Truth or something?"

"I established truth, and truth is in me. I am not _something_; I simply am."

"…Well, what do I call you?"

"Many know me by Aslan." For the first time, Greed noticed that the intimidating calm had been replaced by something else… Still serene, like calm waters, but while the ferocity still glistened in the lion's bright eyes, they held a kindness deeper than any he had ever seen in any mere human's face. This being was ancient, but so… alive.

"Aslan… different. But hey, who am I to talk?" The homunculus shrugged.

Aslan chuckled, and it put Greed at ease almost instantly. The laughter was warm and soft, without any trace of condescension or malice.

The meadow swirled around them for a short moment, clouds wheeling overhead before they came to an abrupt stop. On first glance, the scenery hadn't changed at all. But then Greed looked closer, and realized that woods surrounded them, and mountains loomed in the distance. The air was sweet and fresh and crisp, birds sung all around them, and wind made the flowers dance.

…Boy, that was poetic.

"Did we go somewhere?" he asked when it became obvious that Aslan wasn't going to explain.

"Yes. We are on the edge of my country. And look, yonder." The lion nodded a ways to the right, where the grass rose on dunes of sand. If Greed listened close enough, he could hear the sound of ocean waves.

"We'll find your siblings waiting there."

Siblings. Meaning the other homunculi. Meaning the ones that would rather see him dead than say 'hey bro I missed you'. Greed hesitated. Aslan, having taken a few steps toward the dunes, paused and looked back at him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Greed waited a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. "Why are you doing this? _What_ are you doing?"

Aslan fixed a long stare at him. When he responded, his voice was low, quiet, as he started walking once more. "The homunculi were created as embodiments of the names they bore. Programmed, if you will, not to feel the humanity that exists in every other race in the seven circles. You were given no other option, and that is a sorrowful existence."

Greed raised an eyebrow, following him. "You know who you're talking to, right?"

The lion didn't even hesitate. "Of course. By initial nature, your 'sin' as it were dictated that you sought after your own desires more than any of the others, which soon showed itself to be a flaw in your builders' design and allowed you a loophole to go against the flow of your siblings."

"And how I died? You know everything else, you must know that." Greed wanted some more explaining, and Aslan didn't seem to mind all his questions.

"Ah, that is the beautiful thing. Love conquers all. Love, the pure sort of love that you were exposed to by the very humanity your kind had been raised to despise, broke beyond the instinct to kill and be killed. Love gave you a choice that you hadn't been offered before, and you chose to give up your own ambitions to save the lives of your friends. There is no greater love than this."

By now, they had reached the dunes and looked down over a flawless beach. Beyond the sand, the water rose in an eternal wave the crashed and roared in an arc facing away from them. And on the stretch of sand before them, Greed could spot four human figures lying side by side.

Following Aslan down the dunes toward the bodies, Greed kept his eyes on them in a strange mix of dread and anticipation. He really had no clue what to expect. All of it was so fantastic and mysterious and he almost felt like a human child reading some kind of mystery novel. What was going to happen next?

"Are they dead?" Greed asked as they stood over the forms of four of his siblings – Lust, Envy, Sloth, and Gluttony. They looked just like they had the last time Greed had seen them, from their hair and clothing right down to their ouroboros tattoos in their respective places.

_But wait, where're Pride and Wrath?_

Aslan shook his head with a serene smile (that was the strangest thing, seeing a lion smile). "No. They are only asleep. They will awaken when I send you to the realm I have chosen for all of you."

"Realm…" Greed frowned. "I don't get it."

"I am giving you all a chance at the lives you were deprived of. For this, you will be given a place in one of the seven circles, or realms. You've seen one."

"Two if you count the Void."

"The Void was merely a gap between the realms, where Malum and Chaos had taken residence – you know them better as Truth and Father."

Greed's eyebrows shot up at that. "Um… explanation please?"

"They are jynx – imps that go from world to world, or between worlds, to cause problems for those inhabiting them. Their goal is to steal and destroy in any way. This is the path _they_ have chosen. They were once stars in the skies of the different realms, lighting the night, watching over the inhabitants they seek to corrupt."

"You mean literal stars?" This was really getting to be too much. It was too much to take in, Greed couldn't wrap his head around just how _big_ it all was. This new information, the fact that Truth, the creature credited with the power behind alchemy and all its forms, and Father, the guy that _created_ all the homunculi, are nothing more than fallen stars out to cause problems for _multiple_ worlds? Greed felt a headache coming on.

"It will take time for you to adjust," Aslan said, breaking through his thoughts. The lion had sat back on his haunches, examining the sleeping bodies of the four remaining homunculi. "There is much that you were deceived into believing, you and the others."

The thought reasserted itself and Greed pulled his thoughts away from the mind-boggling information dump to ask another question. "Speaking of others, where are Pride and Wrath?"

"Pride has already been given his chance at humanity, and as we speak, he is growing up as Selim Bradley, a kind, soft-spoken little boy who loves his mother and cares for creatures big and small." Aslan smiled softly. Then the smile disappeared as he moved on. "Wrath and King Bradley were one in the same, and while he had been turned into a homunculus, he was still originally human, with his own life, his own spirit, and his own free will. There is nothing more I can do for him now, in death. But…" He gazed over the last four again, eyes softening. "You five will receive the opportunity that he forsook."

"Right… How is that gonna work, exactly?" Greed kinda liked that this tranquil creature didn't seem to mind his blunt mannerisms.

"You will all be given a family – parents to raise you, a home to belong to, and you will have one another." Aslan stood, and walked over to Gluttony. "You will be given human bodies…"

As he spoke these words, Gluttony's gruesome mass that he had called a body for his whole life shrunk down into a tiny infant, still retaining his chubby face, but looking much more human. The dark clothing turned into a soft white blanket that wrapped snugly around him.

"…new names…"

Sloth became the size of a human child entering into their first full year. All that hulking muscle vanished and became soft and smooth as a baby's. His clothes, like Gluttony's, faded from black to white and almost swallowed him in what looked like an oversized shirt.

"…allowed to age…"

Envy shrunk as well, without the usual effect of red static, until he looked like a toddler. His green hair shortened to a pile of short, stringy spikes on top of his head, his already youthful features gained a layer of baby fat. That stupid, girly crop top lengthened into what looked like a, what was it called… a tunic? Yeah, that was it. And the skort turned into loose pants.

"…be raised with love rather than hate…"

Lust, last of all, went from a dazzling woman to a girl who wouldn't even know what being a woman meant. Heck, as a human, she probably would barely know how to say the word. Gone was the embodiment of physical desire, replaced by a little girl who would be utterly naïve of the world.

"…and they will not remember who they are." Aslan finally turned to Greed, who looked up from his slack-jawed stare at his siblings to look at the lion with confusion.

"Wait, what?"

"To be raised in humanity, they will not remember their time as homunculi for fourteen years. After that time is complete, their memories will return, and they will be given a choice – to return to the immortal creatures they once were, or to remain human, continue aging, and eventually perish the first death at the hand of Time."

"…That's deep," was Greed's intelligent response. "So… why tell me all this if I'm just gonna have my memory wiped?" He didn't really mind; none of his memories as a homunculus were particularly pleasant, and he really didn't have anything that he really wanted to hold onto… except maybe the memories of friends like Ed and Ling and the rest.

"You will not, because you were different."

"…Eh?" The homunculus perked up.

"I charge you with the care of your siblings, Greed. You will retain your memories, as much as your human mind can hold, and they will continue to return as you mature. You will know everything that has passed; you will be responsible for looking after them, and helping them learn the same lessons you have. Do you understand?"

He was… gonna have to be their babysitter? He glanced down at his chibi-fied siblings with a contemplative frown. In the age line, he was younger than Lust but older than Envy, and since they seemed to have kept the order, he assumed that he would end up somewhere in between. Having to watch them, keep track of them… boss them around… the idea wasn't too bad, he guessed. He was never good with kids, but heck, he'd be a kid himself, so oh well.

Aslan smiled. He knew the answer even before Greed nodded.

"Sure, I'll do it."

"Well done. Are you ready, then?"

What, now? He was going now? Well, why wouldn't he? Greed had no more questions. He didn't ask what world he was ending up in, since until today (today? Was there even time here?) he didn't even know there _were_ multiple worlds. And he didn't ask about who his 'parents' would be, since even though he'd only met him, Aslan seemed to know what he was doing. Greed got the sense that he could trust him, despite him being a lion with fire in his eyes that suggested a ferocity behind the serenity that made him want to keep his distance, yet get closer all at once.

"Ready as I'll ever be?" Greed shrugged.

"Then close your eyes and sleep, my son."

_Son? Well, he says it like he means it._ That was kinda nice to hear, actually.

Come to think of it, he _was_ feeling kinda tired. His eyes felt heavy, and suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to lie outstretched in the warm sand like his siblings had been, and sleep. Why didn't he? No reason. So he did. He felt the warm wind rush over him, and closed his eyes with a smile. The last thing he saw was Aslan smiling softly down at him.

_"Rest, and go in peace, dear ones. When you wake, you shall know life in all its joys and pains and sorrows and great wonders. Sleep now, dear Lucia… dear Gredian… dear Ender… young Sorin… and little Glundil."_

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_*To those that aren't clear on this, Greed has assumed his first form, as that was his homunculus form, and not a stolen human body like Ling's (er, volunteered, but whatever...)._

_**In this AU, Truth (Malum) and Father (Chaos) are twin jynx and opposites, with Malum being subtle mischief and Chaos being loud, well, chaos. In this AU, Father had been seeking his brother's power the whole time. I would explain why, but there will be more on that in later chapters._

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**A/N: So, um... reviews? Suggestions? I'm looking for plot ideas right now... Otherwise, I might just have to skip over those fourteen years to when the big plot stuff happens. If you have any ideas or want to see a scene with them as children growing up in their new world... say something! I always read my reviews, even if I forget to comment... *le shame* And I kinda want to write some wee!homunculi oneshots too, but I'm just plumb dry right now when it comes to ideas. I think I used up all my inspiration on novel ideas last month... e_e**

**Anywho. I hope I got everybody in character and hope you enjoyed this prologue. Follow, fave, review, you know the drill. XP**

**~Penelope**

**P.S. OH. Also, what do you think of their new fantasy names? I wanted to make them different, yet you'd still be able to tell who's who. If you have better suggestions, shoot 'em on over because I can understand if the ones I chose aren't the best. I kinda had to come up with them on the spot; I was in a hurry and it was late and I wanted to get it done before I went to sleep... So yeah.**


	2. Interlude 1 - Nursemaid

**A/N: BIG SHOUTOUT TO MY THREE REVIEWERS! :D Thank you so much, and I'm super glad you liked the prologue!**

**Okay, oneshot interlude... There's gonna be a few of these. Starring babies!Greed (Gredian) and Envy (Ender)! X3 They're so adorable... And I really like the OC introduced here. I hope you like her as well.**

**Pronunciations (in case you need them):**

_**Gredian: GRɛD' - eeɛn**_

_**Lucia: LOO' - see - ə**_

_**Glundil: GLOON' - dɪl**_

_**Deodra: DEAR' - drə**_

_**Corodian: (of or from Corodelle, the fantasy country that is the setting) Ker - OH' - deeən**_

_**Ystril: (of or from Ystra, a neighboring country) IST' - ril**_

**That's all for now! The other names should be simple enough to pronounce. XP**

_**More A/N at the end...**_

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**Interlude 1 - Nursemaid**

***Lucia: 8 Gredian: 7 Ender: 5 Sorin: 3 Glundil: 2***

_"Once upon a time…"_

_"Don't thtart like that, Gredian! 'Onthe upon a time' ith lame."_

_"Shut up, Ender! _I'm_ telling the story this time. _Anyway_, once upon a time, there were two brothers who lived in the biggest castle in the whole world. They were the princes – the handsome, awesome Gredian and his pipsqueak younger brother, Ender -"_

_"Hey!"_

_"Shh! They were the princes, but they were locked in their castle by the evil dragon, Lucia!"_

Ender gave a boyish giggle.

_"Because they stole cookies from the pantry. Could you blame them? They were so hungry, they wanted food more than Glundil!"_

Again, Ender dissolved into snickering. The corner of the approaching figure's mouth twitched upward.

_"The dragon Lucia tattle-taled to the king and queen, and the princes were locked away, with her as the guard, never to see daylight again! AUGH! The end!"_

_"Nooooo, it can't end there; that'th jutht thtupid."_

Gredian groaned as the figure put their hand on the door handle. _"Fine. Then, um… Then Lucia got distracted and went to play with the newest baby troll, Seaver. So the princes snuck to the door and-"_

"Were thwarted by the arrival of their nursemaid, the terrifying Deodra! Raaaawr!" She swept through the door into the princes' quarters, spreading her arms to block the doorway from the children she knew were about to act out their little tale.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" both boys shrieked and scrambled back from where, as she guessed, they had been so creeping for the door. Closing the door behind her, she chased after them, one at a time; they made circles around the suite until Deodra finally snagged Ender's thin arm and hoisted him, screaming and giggling, over her shoulder. As she predicted, Gredian came to 'rescue' his brother-in-distress, allowing her to easily latch onto his wrist.

By then, she was already wearing down, panting heavily as she flopped into her rocking chair, settling Ender on her lap and letting go of Gredian's hand to let him sit cross-legged at her feet. "Oh, I'm not as young as I used to be…"

Gredian gave her a skeptical grin. "But Deodra, you're an elf! Elves don't get old!"

"Drow, young master. Elves are little creatures that live in wood stumps. And we do too get old! We just don't look like it."

"But you have pointed ears," the prince argued.

Deodra smiled, shaking her head. Her white bangs stuck to her sweaty forehead, and she brushed them out of her face. "That doesn't make us elves."

"Duh! She can't be an elf, 'cause her thkin is tho dark," said Ender in her defense, leaning on her shoulder, cheek resting on the lengthy cascade of her silvery hair. "Elfth don' look like that."

"That's right." Deodra nodded, patting Ender's dark hair and earning herself a toothy smile. The gap where his front teeth once were spoiled the grin somewhat, but as it made it look like he had gotten into a fist fight with his brother, it seemed to fit the second-youngest prince all the more. She smirked at the thought.

"Puh," Gredian scoffed, scowling at nothing in particular, "that doesn't matter…"

"It matters to a lot of other people." She offered the oldest prince a soft smile, as which his furrowed brow loosened a little. "And you know what else?" She determined to change the subject before it got too serious for these young boys to understand.

"What?" they both said, lowering their voices as she had.

"I know an infant drow isn't the prettiest thing, but calling my daughter a troll was just mean!" she burst with false hurt, making the boys laugh again.

"But she lookth like one!" Ender objected, moving to slide off her lap while Gredian stood to his feet.

"She's so tiny and wrinkly and she smells funny," Gredian added, counting off on his small fingers.

Deodra laughed. "Oh, you boys, you'll be the death of me one day…"

"No!" they chorused.

"No?" she asked, leaning her sharp elbows on her knees.

"No, no!"

"But what if the evil dragon Lucia comes after me for bringing you secret toast and jam?"

"I'll slay her!" Gredian waved an imaginary sword, parrying and thrusting at an invisible foe that was surely his elder sister in dragon form. "I'll protect you, Deodra! I won't let the dragon get ya!"

The dark elf couldn't stop her laughter then, and clasped her hands to her chest like all the human princesses in the fairynovels*. "Oh, my hero!"

"I'll thlay her, too! I'll thlay her, too, Deodra!" Ender tugged at her hand, incessant in his frantic attempt to get in on his brother's bravado.

Ender could never stand his brother having all the attention. The she-drow smiled, clasping his small, pale hands in her own slim, dark ones.

"Of course, En. But who will rescue me?" She gave him a serious look.

His youthful face brightened, and he bounced on his heels. "Oh, I will! I'll rethcue you, Deodra! I promith! Gredian can thlay the dragon and I'll come get you."

"I'll never have to worry about anything with you two around, will I?" she chuckled, leaning back in the chair again, starting to rock. Ender saw this and carefully climbed back into her lap. While he leaned his head on her chest again, she folded his small frame in her arms, one hand stroking and combing through his hair.

Gredian smiled at them, and Deodra winked back. It wouldn't be long before the younger of the two fell asleep for the night.

"In the morning, I'll see if I can't sneak you two some pastries," she said quietly after a short moment. "Can't have my boys completely sugar-starved even on restriction, can I?"

Ender, eyes already drooping, grinned broadly while Gredian pumped his fist in the air with a quiet hiss of triumph.

"But you can't tell your parents," she added hastily, putting a finger to her lips and shushing them. Gredian nodded and Ender shook his head.

"No telling…" the younger prince muttered, eyelids falling further.

Deodra continued to rock while Gredian watched, both waiting for Ender to fall asleep. Within minutes, the deed was done, and his breathing had evened with slumber. Deodra, smiling softly, stood and carried him to his bed. Gredian dragged the blanket back and she laid him down; tucking the blanket over his small shoulders, she brushed back his hair and planted a kiss on his pale forehead.

"Dream, sweet one," she whispered before stepping back and turning to Gredian.

"You should sleep soon, too, Gredian," she muttered, patting the older boy's head. He smiled – that same cock-eyed quirk as always – up at her from under her arm.

"I will. I'm going to read first."

This boy and his history books. Ever since he had started his studies, he couldn't get enough of them. Books on Corodian history, Therminian history, Ystril history, histories of science and philosophy and arts. At seven years old, it was a wonder he understood any of it, or even cared. He was a child genius. And there were times when Deodra would look at him, and he would seem so much older than he was… wise beyond his years. Then Ender or Lucia or one of the other princes would show up, and the wise image would shatter, and Gredian would be a carefree boy again.

Deodra shook her head with a wry smile. "All right. Don't go too long. Good night, young master."

"Night-night Deodra," the young prince said, giving her a wave as she picked up the lantern situated on the floor, where the boys left it. She hung it back on its hook on the room's center stake, and then made her way to the door.

She cast the boys one more look over her shoulder. Gredian had already moved to his desk, sitting down and flipping open one of the heavy volumes waiting there for him. Ender had rolled onto his stomach and pulled the blanket over his head already, snoring softly.

The nursemaid smiled, and left.

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for any difficulty understanding wee!Envy's dialogue... I was trying to write him without front teeth. XP So that was interesting.**

**Anyway! Let me know what you thought - what you think of Gredian and Ender and Deodra and the hints about the story world I've given here. Also, I know this chapter was short, but it's more of a oneshot interlude than an actual chapter. I want to write a number of these illustrating the homunculi growing up and give you some backdrop on this fantasy world before all the plot stuff happens.**

**Reviews are love! :P**

**~Penelope**


	3. Interlude 2 - Baby

**A/N: Short one, I know...**

**AN UNLEASHED!ENVY-SIZED THANK YOU TO MY LOVERLY REVIEWERS!**

** MissiB: Not necessarily reborn... more like shrunk and mind-wiped (except for Greed) and give a new life. But yes, they're royalty, and that will be explained in later chapters.**

** DeenaSoraDrake: Yeah, I was going for unexpected. :D I'm a fantasy nut already, and I'm a big elf fan, so I figured 'what the hey, why not?' XP And as far as Envy/Ender goes, yeah, he still can't get away from the whole atelophobia thing... He just needs a big hug. *nodnod***

**Hope you guys like the update! I love feedback, and if you have a little oneshot scene you'd like to see of the wee!homunculi, tell me and I might do it! :)**

**~Penelope**

* * *

**Interlude 2 - Baby**

***Lucia: 9 Gredian: 8 Ender: 6 Sorin: 4 Glundil: 3***

Babies were kinda boring. They didn't do anything besides sit, spit, scoot around on their butts, and throw stuff. Oh, and cry. And burp. And vomit. And blow snot everywhere. And they were ceaselessly hungry.

Glundil – or Gluttony, as he recalled – was no exception. In fact, he was hungrier than most. That sorta made sense, though; Gredian could vaguely remember the younger humonuclus literally swallowing whole people. Or even ripping them to pieces first…

He shuddered, closing his eyes only to open them right away again when Glundil squealed at him. The little runt was staring at him with big lavender eyes and a vacant expression that seemed familiar.

"You'd better appreciate me after this, squirt," Gredian said through teeth clenched by the weight of his own chin in his palms. He rested his elbows on the floor as he laid on his stomach on the floor a few mere feet from his little brother. "I'm only doing this for the pastry."

Glundil wasn't fazed, of course, and just grinned a baby grin and flailed his chubby arms at him.

"Yeah, yeah, do that all you want." Gredian huffed, blowing some stray black bangs out of his eyes. "You can't fly, you fat little rooster."

A wooden block thrown by said rooster knocked him square between the eyes and he reeled back, howling in pain. Tears sprung to his eyes, and he glared at his brother. "What the what was that for!?"

The baby laughed like it was the funniest thing, giving a few clumsy claps of his pudgy hands. With a sigh, Gredian rolled the block back to the kid, rubbing his forehead with his free hand.

"Ow…" He blinked away the pain-tears. "I hate little kids…"

It sounded very strange to hear that come from his own mouth in a child's voice. Ironic, too, but he didn't want to think about that. Irony and him didn't get along. Although… he wasn't sure why yet.

He climbed to his feet and moved to head to his desk. "You stay right there, munchkin. Don't go crawling around."

Something wooden with hard corners clunked him in the back of the head, and he yelped before whirling around, eyes snapping. Glundil was laughing again, clapping his hands, balance wavering in his excitement.

"You think that's funny, huh?" Gredian, scowling, stooped to pick up the block and march back over to the baby. He set the block on the floor out of his sibling's reach and then laid back down on his stomach, resting his chin on his forearms and looking up at Glundil. "It hurts. It's not very nice."

Glundil reached out clumsily and poked Gredian's nose. Wrinkling said facial appendage, the eldest Corodian prince made a cross-eyed face, as if his nose were a button. His brother giggled, and poked his nose again. The cross-eyed look changed to a frown and wide open mouth, tongue hanging out like a dogs. Glundil laughed some more, and reached to do it a third time. Grinning wickedly (though he kept his mouth open), Gredian made to bite the baby's hand, purposefully just barely missing those chubby fingers.

Glundil looked absolutely delighted with this new game, and reached for his brother's face again. Gredian followed the hand around, mouth gaping wide to try and catch the fingers.

Then Glundil did it.

Before Gredian could blink, the baby stuck his small hand right into his mouth. He just about bit down on him, but managed to stop himself and jerk back again, sputtering and spitting and wiping his mouth.

"Yuck!" he finally groaned, scowling. "Icky! No! Don't do that. Puh, puh, puh… Bleck." He continued trying to get Glundil-taste out of his mouth for the next minute or so, while the baby just grinned at him.

Again with the irony. He supposed he shouldn't have been playing biting games with the baby that was once Gluttony the Hungry. Or something like that.

"People don't taste good…" he muttered, wiping the last of his extracted spit onto his pants.

Glundil just smiled.


	4. Interlude 3 - Mother

**A/N: 'Nother interlude! :D I'm on a roll! With this story at least... oneshots and interludes are easy 'cause they're quick and short. O.o And wow, 4 more reviews already! Thanks so much, guys! I'm really glad you're liking it!**

** Ulquihimefan: YUSH AREN'T THEY JUST PRECIOUS? X3 I have an absolute blast writing them. They're so darn cute... 3 Here's a nice Ender and Gredian one just for you! ;)**

** iAnneart: Well, it sure is fun to write, so I hope it's just as fun to read. :)**

** MissiB: You know, that's a good point, now that I think about it... There really isn't much Greed and Gluttony interaction at all. O.o I'd never thought about it before, but you're right. Guess I'll just have to change that... ;P**

** disneygirl143: I'm a sucker for irony, too, and Greed playing the 'bite your fingers' game with baby!Gluttony is pretty dang ironic. XP Thanks for the wonderful compliment! I know it's not quite crossover, but I really liked the idea of having Aslan give them the chance to experience what love and life really mean. So it's been a fun idea to develop.**

**Thanks again, all! Good news: the main plot is gaining momentum every day and I'm figuring out more and more for it. :D Once I get enough of these interludes out of the way, it'll be onto some real action. As always, hope you enjoy the update, and please review! I love feedback and constructive critisism.**

**~Penelope**

* * *

**Interlude 3 - Mother**

***Lucia: 9 Gredian: 8 Ender: 6 Sorin: 4 Glundil: 3***

"Mama! Mama! MAMA!" The dark-haired boy tore through the pair of double doors leading into queen's private study, making the room's only other occupant jump in fright. Not bothering to keep the knobs from banging into the stone walls or to even close the doors behind him, he shot over the remaining distance between them. Queen Theresa barely managed to set her book aside before he jumped into her arms and buried his face against her shoulder.

"Mama, please don't do it! Please don't let them do it! I don't want them to do it!" he blurted in a long stream of words and boyish sobs.

"My goodness, Ender!" she said with mild exasperation. It was difficult, though, to be truly frustrated with the child when tears were flowing from his sharp violet eyes and he clung to her with such desperation, it actually concerned her. She tried getting him to loosen his grip or look at her, but to no avail. "Whatever's the matter?"

"Don't let them pull out my teeth! Please, mama, please!" he sobbed miserably.

"Pull out your teeth, why…" She frowned, ever so confused, and managed to pry his hands from their hold on the sleeves of her day gown. "Who on earth would do that?"

"The tooth doctor, mama, he's gonna pull out my new teeth!"

His new teeth? Well, obviously, he was referring to his front teeth, which were just beginning to grow in place of his baby teeth. But what was this business of pulling them? She asked him so much, rubbing his back soothingly in hopes that he might calm down long enough to explain.

After a few hiccups, Ender gained enough breath and composure to begin. "Gredian told me that… that my new teeth had the tooth measles."

"Tooth measles?"

"The bumps, he said the bumps on them were tooth measles and that the tooth doctor would have to pull them out, 'cause if he didn't then the tooth measles would get on my other teeth and then they'd _all_ fall out! Mama, I don't want them to pull my new teeth out!" Tears were starting to flow once more, and his lip trembled.

Oddly enough, this relieved the queen and she heaved a sigh as she gave her boy a reassuring smile. "Oh, Ender…" She gently cupped his round, cherubic face in her hands, wiping away his tears with her thumbs. "Don't pay your brother any attention. He's only trying to scare you."

"S-Scare me?" Ender rubbed the moisture from one eye, hiccupping again.

"Yes. Don't fret, love; there's no such thing as tooth measles."

"There's not?" he squeaked, eyes widening.

Theresa nodded, scooting him closer on her lap, giving him a squeeze. "Not at all. Your teeth are fine. And you know what? Those bumps will go away all by themselves, and your teeth will be beautiful."

"Oh... Oh... Mm… That's… good," the prince muttered, huddling in her embrace, calming at last.

"Can you give mama a smile?"

His big eyes turned upward, and he hesitated only a moment before allowing that bright smile of his to overtake his previously sad face. The queen smiled right back, and chucked him under the chin.

"That's my brilliant boy."

* * *

"GREDIAN!"

Ender didn't give his snot-faced brother the chance to react before he tackled him to the floor, throwing punches before the older boy could blink. After one clumsy punch narrowly missing his ear, Gredian's body caught up with his brain and he started fighting back. But Ender had him, he was sure! He had the upper hand, and he was gonna win this time.

"I HATE YOU, YOU STUPID-HEAD!" he screamed at him, throwing fists at Gredian's face as fast as he could dodge them. "YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT!"

Gredian, scowling, caught Ender's next punch and twisted his wrist, threw him off, and sat on his gut, trapping his hands against the floor and effectively pinning him in one fluent move. Ender found himself staring up at his stupid older brother's narrow-eyed glare and returned it just as vehemently.

"What are you talking about, pipsqueak?" Gredian raised an eyebrow at him.

"YOU BIG JERK, YOU'RE SO STUPID! I HOPE A HEXACORN EATS YOU!"

"Hexacorns are plant-eaters, you moron."

"That means they have flat teeth, so it'll hurt more! GET OFF!"

"You'll just start punchin' me again!" Gredian frowned again, and got up just enough to bring his knee back down into Ender's ribs, making the breath whoosh out of his small lungs. "What'd you attack me for?"

"There's no such thing as tooth measles!" Ender spat, glaring with as much venom as he could manage.

But Gredian wasn't scared. He wasn't even mad. Instead, he started laughing! He was _laughing_ at him! Ender's rage boiled higher.

"That's it?" Gredian laughed all the harder. "Oh, boy, you're so gullible! I was just kidding!"

"You lied! Mama said-"

"Mama?" Gredian interrupted, looking viciously curious. "You ran to _Mama_? Oh, how _cute_! But you always _have _been a mama's boy."

"SHUT UP! Get off, Gredian!" Ender struggled, trying to stretch his fingers to claw at Gredian's hands, only to find that his fingers weren't made to stretch that far. He growled, kicking his feet to try and jerk out from under his brother. "I hate you!"

"No, ya don't." Gredian smirked, and used Ender as leverage to push himself to his feet. "Not really."

"Maybe not, but right now I do!" Ender, scrambling up, threw himself at the older prince again as soon as he was able, fists flailing. Gredian didn't even flinch this time as he held a hand out to press his palm against Ender's forehead. And the older boy's arm was just long enough to keep Ender inches from scoring any hits. His punches flew through empty air.

"You're kinda pathetic, you know?" Gredian said as Ender flailed against his hold, not bothering to step away to try again, fighting a defense that would never give. But Ender didn't care. He was too angry.

"I'll kill you!" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Gredian rolled his eyes. "What would Mama say about you talking like that?"

That got Ender to stop his flailing and sag into Gredian's hand, heaving a deep, calming breath. Still, it didn't stop him from glaring at his brother with every ounce of anger he had in him.

"That's better." Gredian smiled, a real one this time.

Ender glared.

"Yikes, lighten up, Ender!" Gredian waved him off, turning back to start walking down the hallway again. "I'm not out to get ya or anything."

Ender just glared.


	5. Interlude 4 - Sister

**A/N: Here's another oneshot! :D A big THANK YOU to everyone who faved and followed, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy! Please, drop me a review and let me know what you think as I go on! I don't like to keep writing if I'm not sure anybody likes it anymore.**

**MissiB: Is Envy ever little and sweet permanently? XP Greed will never give up the opportunity to tease his younger brother; it's just what he does. Doesn't make him any less of a jerk, but yeah. Here's a oneshot on Lust/Lucia from Greed's point of view. Remember, for the most part, Greed is the main character in this fic (although, I have been mulling over a sequel idea which focuses a little more on Envy and who knows, there might be more after that for the others as well; we'll see), but I'll try to give the other four some limelight too. And yes, I'm afraid that it'll take something drastic to make Greed (who wants and gets) and Envy (who wants and doesn't get) to get along... and who knows, that something drastic might end up happening in the course of this story. *evil laugh***

**Also, there is a Pinterest board for this story that can be found here: www .pinterest (.com) /ssimaginish /fanfiction- meaning- of- life/ (of course, without the spaces or parenthesis) OR if you Google 'pinterest fanfiction meaning of life board', it should be the first result. You'll know it when you see it.**

**Anyway, thank you all, and remember: REVIEW! Envy has cake for you. X3**

**Envy: Wha? No, I don't! NO! IT'S MINE! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!**

***slams hammer into his palm-tree head Whack-An-Envy style***

***brushes self off; casual cough* Carry on.**

**~Penelope**

* * *

**Interlude 4 - Sister**

***Lucia: 10 Gredian: 9 Ender: 7 Sorin: 5 Glundil: not quite 4***

Gredian faintly remembered her for what she really was. What she'd been created to be. And every day, another memory was added to his store and every day, he was able to piece together a little more of his own life as a homunculus.

Lust – that was what her name had been. All he could really remember was an older version of his sister with long satiny hair, a weird dress*, and fingers that could lash out like spears and slice through steel.

Watching her now as she balanced little Glundil on her small hip and showed the babbling toddler** different blossoms around the royal gardens, he could only see what she'd been to him up to this point: Lucia, his older, annoying-but-not-all-the-time sister. The sister who was always reading books and bossing them all around like she knew more than they did – granted, sometimes she did, but neither Gredian nor any of his brothers were about to admit that – and was very much their father's little girl.

Father… Gredian remembered him, too, the old one, the nasty one. He remembered being reabsorbed for the first time. The pain… The child grimaced, leaning heavier on the balcony rail and burying his face against his forearms. Down in the gardens below, Lucia plucked up a tulip to show to Glundil, and held it out of his reach when he grabbed for it.

"Not for eating," he heard her say. He smirked. Now _that_ sounded familiar. More familiar than it should. She probably used to say it all the time.

Sometimes he wondered why Lucia didn't have dolls like the other girls in the villages did, but he supposed it was because she had real babies to help Mama look after. Who needed dolls when you had the real thing?

In fact, how she was and how he remembered her were quite different. His memories portrayed her as pretty intimidating, quiet, cold and cruel. Lucia could still definitely be intimidating and he supposed she could be cruel when she wanted to be, but she wasn't quiet. She could actually be loud when she wanted to. And she wasn't cold; she was a very warm person. She liked flowers and cats and babies and books and all the normal stuff.

It was kind of weird. He was basically looking at two very different people. And of all the things he remembered, the reason why was what he recalled the clearest. When he met Aslan. He didn't remember much before that, but how could he forget those big, endless eyes?

Aslan had made things better for them, and that had to be why Lucia wasn't Lust anymore. Not just because she wasn't a homunculus, but because she was growing up with things she hadn't had before – a mother and father, siblings she didn't have to feel ashamed to care about, a peaceful home (mostly, depending on the day), and an overall good life.

Most of all, she had love, as cheesy and sappy as that was for Gredian to think of. But it was true. And the more he thought about it, that was bound to account for the biggest changes in all of them.

Love pretty much defeated each and every one of the sins they were originally named for. He knew this like he knew the sun would set tonight and then rise again in the morning. He wasn't sure why yet, but he'd remember eventually.

He liked her better this way anyhow. Now, they actually had fun together – sometimes, when he or the others weren't trying to irritate her. They went on adventures in the woods surrounding the castle, or they had picnics in the gardens, or they got Lucia to play princess while they battled imaginary dragons. They teased her about being the dragon a lot, but she loved being the princess. She loved being rescued by her favorite knights.

Glundil and Sorin didn't make for a very intimidating two-headed dragon, but whatever. It was still fun. It was also one of the few times that Ender'd stop hating him for a little while.

Now that, Gredian never understood. Why did Ender hate him so much? It was kind of annoying…

Oh well.

"No, Glundil! No!" Lucia's bossy big sister voice drifted up to his ears again, and his gaze scanned the garden until he found them by the honeysuckle and lilacs. Glundil had grabbed a fistful of the purple blossoms while it looked like Lucia had been trying to show him the honeysuckle.

"You can't eat those! They taste bad!" said the girl, pulling her baby brother's plump hand away from the delicate lilacs. "Here – these taste good." She snatched up some petals from the honeysuckle, and handed one to Glundil.

"Like this." It was hard to see from his distance, but he could tell she stuck the end of the petal horn in her mouth and sucked the honey-flavored nector from it.

Of course, that didn't stop Glundil from simply stuffing the blossom in his mouth. Lucia sagged in disappointment while Gredian tried to keep from snickering too hard.

Yeah… You know what? That love he was musing about before was effecting him too, and he was having one of those rare moments where he didn't care if it was a touchy-feely thing to admit. Just looking down at them, his siblings, his brother and sister, it wasn't hard to feel it. It was just like when he looked down at Ed, Ling, and that Lan Fan girl when… when…

When what?

Ehh, he'd remember later.

* * *

_*Greed/Gredian is about eight years old right now. Lust's characteristic dress wouldn't strike his as attractive at this point. Plus the idea of his older sister, who's at the moment nine years old, wearing something like that only registers as 'weird' in his mind._

_**This oneshot is about a year after the last one, three years after the prologue, making Glundil about three and a quarter years old, now a toddler._


	6. Interlude 5 - Brother

**A/N: Sorry for the LONG wait! I've been trying to focus on my own writing for the past month or so. I was preparing for a writing workshop this summer. Unfortunately, finances are an issue and I didn't have enough, so I'm not going. Which is good news for you readers, 'cause it means that I have another two months to get my novel finished, which therefore means I can break to work on this now and then. I figure since I got two chapters for my novel finished this past week, I could chance to take some time to update a fanfic. XP**

**MissiB: We have a small variation of honeysuckle around here, and it does work, though I have a hard time actually finding flowers that are bloomed enough to taste good. XP **

**Envy: *glares at MissiB* No! Bad human! That's my cake!**

***presents him with German chocolate cupcakes***

**Envy: o-o ...Please, keep it. I'll be fine. *takes cupcakes and retreats to nearest closet to eat them in peace***

**Bard of Chaos: Thanks! :D I hope you enjoy the installments to come!**

**Kasani: Yaay, I made you laugh. ^.^ That always makes me happy, just about as much as if I make someone cry. *nodnod* And baby!Gredian and Ender are very huggable. (Unfortunately, I think that's called kidnapping... but who cares? XP Social norms never stopped fangirls.) I'm certainly keeping it in mind. I love this idea as well and I plan to see it through to the end. I have a lot of stuff in store for it, too... *evil chuckle* And thanks! I'm glad I'm not completely butchering Greed... he reminds me of one of my own characters, so at least it's not too much of a jump to handle.**

**I hope you guys enjoy this interlude, and stay tuned for the next! :)**

**~Penelope**

* * *

**Interlude 5 - Brother**

***Lucia: 13 Gredian: 12 Ender: 10 Sorin: 8 Glundil: 7***

Gredian had never seen something that ugly in his life, and that was saying a lot. He'd certainly been around, seen his fair share of ugliness (heck, his brother was Envy and everyone knows envy is an ugly thing), but this… thing… really took the cake.

"Gredian, I don't think this is a good idea…"

He cast a wry frown over his shoulder at his olive-haired sibling. "Don't be a wuss. Besides, since when did you care about being careful?"

"I don't exactly like the idea of getting eaten," the 10-year-old retorted with a scowl. "And I'm not scared. I'm just…"

"Scared?" Gredian smirked, and went back to peeking over the old fallen log that served as their blind from the beast on which they spied. A good distance of perhaps ten yards ahead, the troll meandered through the trees, sagging blue skin turned grey in the shadows of the forest, and the dreary light of the overcast day. It dragged a massive axe behind it, tattered clothes blowing in the stormy breeze, and huffed like a grizzly.

"Nobody's ever seen where trolls live, you know," he whispered, watching the monster trudge along. "We could be the first!"

He could hear the dryness in Ender's voice even without looking at him. "Or we could be two more names on a long list of unfortunate victims."

"So many big words," Gredian said with a shake of his head. "You read too much."

Ender stood with a cry of indignation. "You're telling _me_ that!?"

"Shhh!" Gredian dragged him back down just as the troll began to turn around. Its bulk kept it from really whirling, and it moved like a tank (of course, they didn't have tanks here, but he remembered them from his old world). Once facing them, it's tiny eyes searched the woods.

From what he'd read, trolls had poor eyesight, but an incredible sense of smell, kinda like Glundil used to before he was human. He licked his finger and held it up to the air without letting the troll see. Now, if the wind was just…

"Uh oh…" he croaked, swallowing.

"Uh oh? What, uh oh?" Ender squeaked.

The troll answered him with a roar that shook the branches. Gredian jumped to his feet and pulled Ender up behind him.

"RUN!" He bolted forward, back in the direction of the village, pumping his adolescent limbs for all they were worth. The wind streamed through his lengthening black hair, tugged at his trousers and tunic. His boots hit the leaf-strewn ground on his toes, lacking grace but fast enough for him, just barely.

The ground shook with the weighty steps of the pursuing troll. Gosh, who's brilliant idea had it been to go troll hunting, anyway!?

Oh, right… That was his idea, wasn't it?

Ender screamed.

A chill raced up Gredian's spine as he slid to a halt and spun on his heel. His heart clenched at the sight of the troll picking his brother up by the ankle. Ender kicked and swung at it, struggling for all he was worth, but his fists couldn't reach anything, and his free heel did nothing against the monster's tough hide.

"Hey, bozo, don't bother with the appetizer! Come get the entrée!" Gredian called without even needing to think about it. He shuffled over to grab the nearest stone he could see and hurled it in their direction. He snatched up a few more and chucked those as well.

The first hit the troll's stomach, the second its shoulder, and the third hit its cheek, making it howl. In a rage, it tossed Ender aside and stormed toward Gredian.

"Run, you idiot!" he yelled to his brother before he turned and did just that. This time, his scraggly strides didn't feel like nearly enough to keep the distance between him and Mr. Bones of Steel. The thing was like Major Armstrong! That is, if Armstrong was the big blond sparkly guy he remembered…

The shaking ground didn't make his steps any easier, and several times, he almost tripped. He'd be dead meat if he did, too. And when he felt the wind of a swipe of the troll's bulky paw, he barely contained a yelp of fright.

He felt weight hit his torso, and knew he was in trouble.

The hulking foot plowed him into the ground, pressing him into a Gredian-shaped imprint. He groaned as the troll stepped back, and then closed his eyes, bracing himself for what was to come.

This idea had been a bust. Imagine him, the crowned prince of Corodelle and next in line for the throne, killed by a stupid troll because he was too adventurous for his own good. Just the thought was embarrassing. What a way to go.

A youthful war cry pierced the air and the troll howled behind him. Opening his eyes and rolling onto his bruised back, he widened his eyes at the sight before him. Ender had leapt onto the troll's back with a branch, which he had wrapped around its throat and locked between his elbows. The troll flailed, grabbed at its neck, but its beefy fingers were too big to wedge under the branch, and its back too hunched for its swipes to hit the boy. Though, they got plenty close, and Ender had himself pressed close against it to avoid getting knocked off.

"En… Ender?" He'd almost used his brother's real name. That woulda just been the icing on the cake, wouldn't it… Then he'd have had to face both the troll _and _the wrath of Envy the Jealous.

But who woulda thought his once-psycho sibling would be trying to save him?

"HELP ME, STUPID!" Ender barked back, obviously clinging on for dear life.

Gredian scrambled to his feet, or tried to. His ribcage ached like nobody's business. He wondered if he'd broken something… It was still such a new sensation, being injured, even after 12 years. He glanced to and fro for some kind of weapon, but there wasn't much a stick would do against a raging troll. Aside from what Ender was doing, but a troll only had one head.

"I don't know what to do!" he yelled back. He didn't miss the glare Ender sent at him.

"Then what do you propose I do!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

A harsh whistle whipped past Gredian's head and an arrow plunged straight into the troll's helmet-like forehead, dead-center. The monster fell still, its eyes rolled back, and it collapsed on its face, throwing Ender off its back into the leaves with an 'oof'.

Both princes slowly turned to face the archer responsible.

A lithe figure stood shrouded in the grey light, but his dark grey skin and striking white hair were unmistakable, aside from his long pointed ears. The dark elf wore no hood, and his rugged leather clothing showed off an agile physique and numerous silver tribal tattoos all over his chest and arms. A circlet of silver lined with golden leaves rested atop his head. He couldn't be that old, maybe in his mid-teens. The quiver on his back held dozens of white-tipped arrows, identical to the one protruding from the dead troll's forehead.

But his eyes gave Gredian the creeps. His eyes were so light a blue, they were almost silver. They stared at he and his brother from under a white fringe.

Gredian frowned, taking a step forward. "Who-"

The elf crouched, and then leapt straight up into the tree boughs, disappearing from sight in a blink. Gredian dashed forward.

"Hey, wait a minute!" He ran to where the stranger had stood only moments ago, Ender in tow, and looked up into the trees to find them empty. The elf had vanished.

"Who the heck was that?" he muttered, frowning at the sky.

"That was cool, though, the way he just disappeared," Ender contributed. "And did you see that shot!? That was awesome!"

"Ehh, it was okay. For an archer. He wasn't that far away, though."

"I wanna be an archer."

He rolled his eyes, and then spoke a question that came to his mind. "Hey, what gave you the idea - with the branch and stuff?"

Ender frowned, staring at the ground. "I'm not sure... I don't even know how I did it; I just... knew it would work."

Well, that didn't sound ominous at all. Images of a sadistic homunculus flashed through his mind, and Gredian fought the urge to cringe. Best not act fazed, though. He cast Ender a cock-eyed look. "Whatever you say, En. Now, let's go back home before you get us in trouble again."

"ME!? Don't you DARE blame me for this!"

Gredian snickered, for once enduring his brother's grousing the whole way home.


	7. Interlude 6 - Father

**A/N: Finished another chapter of my own novel, so did another interlude. I needed a little happy after writing the darkest part of my book, even though this bit turned out to be quite feelzy, too... O.o I just can't escape it.**

** MissiB: Well, German Chocolate cake is fabulous, so I imagined cupcakes would be fabulous.**

**Yeah, I thought I'd have the boys work together for once. XP**

** Kasani: You can never use the word 'adorable' too much in reference to baby!Envy. XP I'm really glad you feel the genre fits! I thought so too, and it's a blast to write.**

** Mistystarshine: Actually, Aslan said that the memories would return to them all after 14 years. They were brought to Matthus and Theresa when Lucia was 6, so they will all have their memories returned when she turns 20 (when Gredian is 19, Ender is 17, and so on). :)**

**Hope y'all enjoy this installment!**

**~Penelope**

* * *

**Interlude 6 - Father**

***Lucia: 14 Gredian: 13 Ender: 11 Sorin: 9 Glundil: 8***

"Da, Da, can you tell us a story?" Glundil bounced on his heels beside the kneeling King Matthus, tugging on the arm of his robe, inching closer toward the door of his and Sorin's bedroom.

"Yeah, Da, it's been a while since the last one!" Sorin chimed in on Matthus' other side, grinning at him from under his limp black hair.

Gredian watched from down the hall. He'd just been heading in to do some late-night studying (as per usual, he'd ignore all of Ender's gripes about the lantern and stupid teenagers staying up too late) when he caught his father bidding his two youngest brothers goodnight. So, of course, he overheard their request for a tale. And Sorin was also correct; Matthus had been preoccupied with the general public unrest, what with some sectors calling for racial equality with the dark elves and others demanding their rights to what they deemed as property – their servants, indentured or no. That, and he'd upped the amount of tutelage with Gredian; he was, after all, the next heir. At the age of thirteen, his father had seen it fit to intensify his royal grooming. Sword training, archery (to Ender's delight, though Gredian didn't care for it), general combat, politics, further history endeavors, even though he knew Corodelle's as well as most of the surrounding countries' histories frontwards and backwards already.

From his doorway, Gredian watched the king grin at the two boys before sighing with great drama. "All right, all right. One story, it is. Then, off to sleep, are we agreed?"

Both Sorin and Glundil nodded vigorously before darting into their room with Matthus in tow.

Gredian poked his head into his room, spotting his 11-year-old brother sprawled on his bed, staring blandly at the ceiling. Gosh, Ender'd gotten so moody lately (then again, hadn't he always been?). "Hey, Ender, Da's telling a story next door."

The younger boy didn't sit up, but merely shifted his violet eyes to stare at Gredian. Ender didn't even make the effort to lift his head. "So?"

Gredian raised an eyebrow. "So, it's been a while. You know he's the best storyteller in the castle."

Ender sighed, and Gredian finally had to frown. "I repeat – so?"

"So, come on! Get off your emo butt and come join the rest of us for once. It wouldn't kill you to be social with your own family." Gredian strode into his room only for a moment to grab his robe to slip over his bedclothes before he left Ender to his sulking and headed over to the younger boys' room. He met Lucia at the door, and stepped back to allow her in first.

"Milady," he said with a mock bow to his sister.

She rolled her eyes, smirking with amusement. "As if. Only when Da's around."

"Very true. Appreciate it."

He followed her in and paused to take in the sight of Sorin and Glundil sitting ready and waiting in the middle of the bookshelf corner of their room, while Matthus settled into the rocking chair there. The king seemed a bit awkward in a chair that was constantly moving, and he seemed stiff, as if he were trying to keep it from doing its designed purpose. Gredian smiled at the idea; he watched Lucia stride over to the others, but before she could even pull up the chair from the desk, Glundil called her over.

"Lucy, can I sit on your lap?"

Letting out a short sigh, Lucia left the chair and went over to him, sitting elegantly beside him. "Okay. But if my feet fall asleep again, you're getting off."

"Okay!" The pudgy boy settled himself in their sister's lap, nestling comfortably to rest his head on her shoulder, against her hair. She folded her arms around him to steady him.

Matthus spotted Gredian in the doorway and smiled at him. "Coming?"

Gredian grinned back and strode in confidently. "I thought I'd crash the party."

"I thought you said yesterday that the party never started until you got there…" Sorin said, to which the others laughed.

Gredian stuck his tongue out at his younger brother. "Figure of speech!"

"I do also recall you quite clearly stating that idioms were for the dull-witted," Matthus mused thoughtfully with a straight face, leaning his elbows on his knees.

His siblings all 'ooh'ed while Gredian chucked the nearest cushion at his father, who caught it with a smirk and a deft raise of his hands. Gredian, trying hard not to laugh, then settled down beside Lucia, ready to listen to whatever fanciful tale his father had to tell.

"All right," Matthus said, setting the cushion aside and steepling his fingers in thought. "Hmm, a story… How about I tell you the story about how the Great Lion had to replace a wicked king that his people had chosen, and how it began – a story about a sheepherder, a prince, a dragon from the north, and a bow and arrow."

Gredian liked this one; he'd read it numerous times in The Lion's Book, about the shepherd boy Adrian Noble, his treacherous friendship with Prince Geoffrey and his father, King Saurus, and his famous 160-yard shot that penetrated inch-thick scales and killed the monstrous wyrm, Ongolianth. Surely, Ender would've liked to hear this story; it had archery in it for crying out loud! Though Gredian preferred the bits where Adrian hung out with Aslan (or Elohim in the Book) and Geoffrey; he also liked hearing Adrian and Aslan's songs, even though they were so old, not many of them had tunes to go with them anymore.

He glanced back at the door as Matthus begun his tale. Really, Ender was such a brat; why wouldn't he come?

* * *

Theresa heard her husband weaving the story of Adrian Bowman and the Dragon in Sorin and Glundil's room. She had peeked in, but only accounted for four of her five children. A frown furrowed her smooth brow; where was Ender?

Having an inkling, she made her way to her other two sons' room. Inside, as she thought, she found her middle-child curled up on his bed with his back to the door, huddled under his blankets despite the warm, humid weather that permeated the castle even after dark. The lantern still burned at Gredian's empty desk, so she maneuvered through the room without difficulty.

When she sat on the bed's edge, Ender cracked an eye open. Upon spotting her, he snapped it shut again and tugged the blanket over his face. Theresa sighed. "Ender, love… come out of there."

"I don't wanna," he mumbled, muffled under the blanket.

She kept her voice light, not giving merit to his sulking. "Well, you're going to have to come out sooner or later, so you might as well do it sooner simply because your mother asks you to."

The blanket shifted an inch down, but didn't pull away.

"Whatever will you do when morning comes? Breakfast?" She watched closely for another hint of motion, but none came. "Your archery lessons?"

The blanket twitched just enough to uncover his eyes. "What archery lessons?"

"Oh, just the ones I've been thinking about starting. You wouldn't happen to know of any students who would be interested, would you?"

While still attempting to be nonchalant about it, Ender flicked the blanket edge off his face so he could stare at her fully. "You shoot?"

"I was a decent shot in my day, yes," she said with a show of pride, buffing her fingernails on her dress. "I'll have you know I once clustered a turkey's twelve* on a bull's eye."

"No!" he gasped incredulously.

"I deceive you not!" Straightening her back, Theresa smoothed the wrinkles out of her skirt and held her head high. "It's been a while, but I thought that I might try my hand at instruction. I have no other use for the skill, and perhaps might be able to pass it on to posterity."

Ender finally pushed himself to sit upright. "You mean it?"

She smiled at him. "Why, of course I do! Come, I want to show you something." She patted his back before standing up and heading for the door. She didn't wait, for she knew her son would follow her. When he came up beside her, she took his hand, entwining their fingers, and together, they passed by the room where all the other children were gathered and moved on by.

It hurt her mother's heart to see Ender so distant from his siblings, but there was certainly no way she, as his mother and as a just queen, was going to leave him to himself. Something was brewing in him, something out of her sight, and it was making him suffer. He never disclosed anything with her, and she always fought the impulse to take offence, be bitter. She always had to remind herself that it may not be something she had control over. Whatever it was didn't seem to be something she could touch, even remotely, and had to be a struggle that Ender had chosen for himself. As much as that hurt her to know that he might've willingly chosen silent suffering over open aid, she could only love him and guide him and pray that it made a difference.

"I haven't opened this case for over a decade, now," she said as they entered her private queen's quarters. She led Ender over to a large wardrobe on the far wall, where she released his hand to open up the grand thing and strain to reach a rectangular case tucked away on the top shelf. Once she had it down, she took it over to her bed. Ender followed her and watched at her side as she undid the latches.

When she opened it, he gasped. Inside lay nestled an ornate longbow, decorated with handcarved knotwork and vinery, painted with the vibrant colors of a hummingbird – Theresa had always admired those small, energetic creatures. With gentle fingers, she pulled the longbow out of the case, and with some strain, strung it for the first time in fifteen years. She'd set down archery when she married Matthus and became queen, graciously taking over her new responsibilities and allowing a youthful hobby to fade into the background. She had never felt any loss over it; she'd gladly put all her heart into being exactly who her husband and country needed her to be, and if that didn't include archery, she felt no harm done. But it seemed that now, her old companion was needed again.

"This was my old bow," she told Ender in a soft, nostalgic voice as she caressed the smooth grooves in the wood. "I made it myself with my father's help."

"You made it?" he said with wonder, gaze hungrily taking in the weapon, resting on every detail.

"Yes, I did."

"So, your Da was an archer too?" He reached out a hand toward the bow, but hesitated.

Theresa smiled, sitting down on the bed's edge. Ender settled down beside her. "He was a hunter, one of the finest in Corodelle. He taught me everything I know. Here, take it."

As she handed him the bow, he stared at it with wide, reverent eyes. He held it with ginger care, like one might cradle a duckling. Slowly, he ran his smaller fingers up and down over the knotwork.

The queen's smile turned fond and she stroked her son's hair, leaning in to press a kiss to his temple. "If you like it, you may keep it."

His head jerked up and he stared at her, eyes widening further, if that were possible. "You mean I can _have_ it?"

She stifled a laugh at his expression, but it still came out as a light giggle. "Of course. You'll need a bow to train with, after all, and it should be a decent weight and draw for you. It may be a little large for another year, but you're still growing. I think it will fit you nicely."

A smile slowly brightened his expression, a sight it had been so long since she'd seen, and her heart swelled. Ender gazed down at the bow, wonder turned to care and affection for his new belonging. Then he gently set the bow aside and wrapped his gangly arms around her middle. "Thank you, Mama."

"You're very welcome," she said, chuckling and hugging him tightly. "We can start your lessons as soon as you like."

"Tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me." They sat there, nestled in each other's embrace, for a few more moments before Theresa began to lean away. "But for now, I do believe it's still your bedtime." She kissed the top of his head. "I love you, my brilliant boy."

Ender, beaming, gathered his new bow into his arms and grinned up at her. "Love you, too, Mama."

* * *

_*Slang in this dimension that means 'twelve in a row'._


End file.
